Hollywood A-List Talent Agents Spend Time Mentoring Compton Youth

Compton eighth-grader Edgar Ruelas wants to be the first in his family to attend college.

He has some help: high-powered talent agents from Beverly Hills.

For the past four years, a few dozen agents from William Morris Endeavor have been mentoring students from two Compton schools.

The centerpiece of the mentoring initiative, which is part of a wider partnership between WME and the Compton Unified School District, are regular visits that students make to the agency’s sleek, marble-clad headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard.

“At first I was pretty nervous about meeting WME. I was scared. I didn’t really know any mentors,” said Edgar, who attends Whaley Middle School. “But now I do — we are pretty close now — and they are like my friends.”

The students aren’t the only ones reaping rewards from the arrangement.